I have to admit I don't buy it and I don't understand what most of the points provided have to do against establishing the conceptualization of the us-japan relationship being benign and cooperative.

secondary question: which Sharon "knows exactly what his electoral base asks from him" and is trying to "remain in power"

I kinda figured that out as I was replying, no victor country never wanted to face reality; it's an interesting topic but just out of the current context. I hold the general view that no colonial power ever, so far in history, avoided to try glossing over the dirty bits of it's occupational policy in his history, whether recent or old, for the purpose of looking all prim and decent when facing it's own future generations.

I don't think anyone here is acting like the US is clean with regards to the treatment of Japan. Or that US-Japan relations are totally max cool with each other bro.

Shadowcell made the point that the reason they're not still at war, and are at least cordial and cooperative, is due to the US helping rebuild Japan afterwards and that that is what whatshisname Sharon would probably never really consider with regards to Palestine. He didn't say that the outcome was the best possible with regards to the US/Japan issue, but that they at least tried to repair the damage to the extent that nowadays their relationship is one that is benign. Not really friendly or anything, but what can you expect._________________

By and large I agree with that except for the "help rebuild". US didn't pour money into Japan as much as it did in Europe after ww2; Japan economical power rose mostly due to its own efforts as mentioned before.

That point, and the fact comparing the two situations makes no sense to me, I contest._________________Meu aerobarca esta cheoi de enguias

That's the point though is that they're not comparable — the united states could have treated japan like israel is handling wb/gaza and it would have been a fucking disaster. Under the oversight of the SCAP, the US worked towards and granted japan the full degree of initial funding and economic agency necessary to remodernize and become its own full-fledged economic power, which was an express, meditated, and evidenced goal of the postwar occupation. America also expressly went into the postwar period with the equivalent of what israel has been offered as the two-state solution

end result: productive. good. free. doesn't leave japan a vassal, like the soviets severely attempted in their own postwar holdings. It is very adamantly something to contrast against what israel's long term 'solution' is, accordant to likud's actions. (essentially, economically starve out and slowly displace non white jewish people as best they can — genocide-lite or an ethnic purging on low heat)

I don't think anyone here is acting like the US is clean with regards to the treatment of Japan. Or that US-Japan relations are totally max cool with each other bro.

I think it's pretty hard to be on max cool with someone after they drop nuclear bombs on you. But they've got a pretty good relationship, considering._________________Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while, I think I see my brother coming, riding many a mile.

I don't think anyone here is acting like the US is clean with regards to the treatment of Japan. Or that US-Japan relations are totally max cool with each other bro.

I think it's pretty hard to be on max cool with someone after they drop nuclear bombs on you. But they've got a pretty good relationship, considering.

Time heals all wounds. Well that, and also having most of the people on both sides who were involved directly with the conflict die off goes a long way._________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.http://about.me/omardrake

I have a very strange theory about why the bomb droppings were ultimately better for japan in a coldly utilitarian way.

In terms of actual damage, wasn't the bombing of Nagasaki roughly equivalent to the overall bombing campaign against Stalingrad?

If you're going where I think you're going, is it really any different than asking "Would you kill 1 person to save 1,000?" or "Would you kill 50,000 to save 50,000,000?"

I guess it really depends what your views are, whether more pragmatic or idealistic, bacon or necktie._________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.http://about.me/omardrake

Our analysis of pork-chop and ground-pork samples from around the U.S. found that yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium that can cause fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, was widespread. Some samples harbored other potentially harmful bacteria, including salmonella. And there are more reasons to be concerned about “the other white meat.”

Some of the bacteria we found in 198 samples proved to be resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat people. The frequent use of low-dose antibiotics in pork farming may be accelerating the growth of drug-resistant “superbugs” that threaten human health.

About one-fifth of the 240 pork products we analyzed in a separate test harbored low levels of the drug ractopamine, which the U.S. approved in 1999 to promote growth and leanness in pigs. It’s commonly used in pigs raised for food in the U.S. but is banned in the European Union, China, and Taiwan. Our food-safety experts say that no drugs should be used routinely in healthy animals to promote growth. Here are details from our tests:

* Yersinia enterocolitica was in 69 percent of the tested pork samples. It infects about 100,000 Americans a year, especially children. We found salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, or listeria monocytogenes, more common causes of foodborne illness, in 3 to 7 percent of samples. And 11 percent harbored enterococcus, which can indicate fecal contamination and can cause problems such as urinary-tract infections.

* Some of the bacteria we found were resistant to multiple drugs or classes of drugs. That’s worrisome, because if those bugs make you sick, your doctor may need to prescribe more powerful (and expensive) antibiotics.

* Ground pork was more likely than pork chops to harbor pathogens. That’s to be expected, since grinding meat provides another opportunity for contamination.

* Some antibiotic claims you’ll see on packaging are misleading. And a “no hormones added” claim might be true but is meaningless, because hormones aren’t allowed in pork production.

Resistant Staph and Salmonella

All animals (humans included) have bacteria on their skin and in their gastrointestinal tract. Some are beneficial, including the probiotic kind, which help digestion. Others, such as salmonella, can be harmful to people, but affected animals might not become ill. Confining animals in less-than-clean quarters can allow bad bacteria to proliferate.

An animal’s muscles (meat), blood, and brain are normally sterile. But during slaughter and processing, meat can become contaminated with bacteria from the animal’s skin or gut and from workers, equipment, or the environment. Contamination is especially likely to occur if processing lines run too fast or if sanitary practices aren’t followed. Once bacteria are on meat, improper storage can encourage them to multiply.

To minimize contamination, the federal government requires processors of meat, poultry, and seafood to create safety and inspection procedures collectively known as HACCP (pronounced hass-ip), which stands for Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points. Implemented for meat and poultry plants in 1997, HACCP is officially the consumer’s first line of protection against contaminated pork. But inspectors spot-test for a limited number of pathogens. Yersinia enterocolitica, for example, isn’t among them. And the Department of Agriculture can’t require a recall if HACCP plans fail to meet goals.

“Very low contamination levels in hog carcasses indicate that companies’ practices are adequately controlling pathogens,” a USDA spokeswoman told us. But our tests showed that some harmful bacteria can make their way into your kitchen.

Moreover, the bacteria we found often continued to multiply even in the presence of some drugs designed to kill them or stop them from reproducing. Thirteen of 14 staphylococcus samples we isolated from pork were resistant to one or more antibiotics. So were six of eight salmonella samples, 12 of 19 enterococcus samples, and 121 of 132 yersinia samples. One sample was identified as MRSA, a drug-resistant and sometimes fatal staph.

I think I have the same theory. The issue was the Soviets, who had decided to enter the war, even as individuals like Kawabe were pontificating at length that they had to fight to the death, as surrender would mean 'ruin'. Even after Ketsu-Go had written off Manchuria.

If the Japanese had not accepted Potsdam surrender and held out through famine and continued firebombing, millions upon millions more would have died (whether by fire or starvation), and the near inevitability of a Soviet rider to the occupation of Japan would have grown. The Soviets wanted to invade Hokkaido and were actually mobilizing for it with serious plans in August.

The Japanese surrender ended that assurance.

If the peace faction hadn't managed to finally break through to getting a Potsdam surrender agreed to with the preservation of the throne, you would have been looking at a Hokkaido Wall in addition to a Berlin Wall.

Fuck damn it would have been bad. It would mean, amongst many other things, a world without Full Metal Alchemist.

On a more serious note, I would imagine that every action the US engaged in Eastern Asia during the last 60 or so years would have been greatly affected. Would there have ever been a Korean War? Would there be a Korea at all? Would the Treaty of Manila have ever been ratified? How would Vietnam have turned out? What about Cambodia? Ok, Imma stop now, it's making me kinda dizzy._________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.http://about.me/omardrake

Can't help but think of this._________________A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want? ~Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Hostess workers went on strike on November 9, after a bankruptcy court gave the struggling 82-year-old company the right to impose pay cuts. The baked goods company (which also makes Wonder Bread and several other iconic snack cakes) has given striking employees until 5 p.m. ET on Thursday to return to work. If they don't, on Friday Hostess plans to ask a bankruptcy judge for permission to shut down, sell their assets, and fire all employees except for the few needed to prep facilities for sale.

Hostess seems willing to make good on the threat: On Monday, Hostess closed bakeries in Seattle, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, the Associated Press reported. Customers were not affected, but about 627 workers lost their jobs.

"We simply do not have the financial resources to survive an ongoing national strike," Hostess Chief Executive Gregory Rayburn said in a statement on Wednesday. A union spokesperson had no comment.

Ok but, they apprently have the financial resources to

a) pay 19 top execs a combined $1.8 million

b) Pay former CEO $125,000 a month as an adviser while they sell off assets.

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved bonuses for executives of Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, who stay on as the company is broken up and sold off.

On Thursday, as part of a plan to liquidate the company and lay off 18,000 workers, a federal judge in White Plains, N.Y., approved paying 19 Hostess executives bonuses totaling $1.8 million. Hostess has said it has interest from at least 110 firms who want to buy pieces of the operation. The decision comes as the company, known for its iconic snack cakes like Ho Hos and Ding Dongs, says it doesn't have enough cash on hand to pay retirement benefits to some former employees. The bonuses do not include pay for CEO Gregory Rayburn, who was brought on as a restructuring expert earlier this year, according to The Associated Press. Rayburn is being paid $125,000 a month.

Former employees are outraged over the bonuses handed out to high ups.

"Anybody's got a reason to be upset who lost their job if there handing out large amounts of money," Paul Carroll told ABC News.
In a statement overnight, Hostess said the bonuses are designed to keep top brass from leaving before winding down what's left of the company "quickly and cost-effectively". "I was qualified to draw my pension, with no notice I lost about 70 or 75 percent of it I didn't work 34 years to lose it," Carroll said.

Hostess was given interim approval for its wind-down last week, which gave the company the legal protection to immediately fire 15,000 union workers. Hostess said last week it will retain about 3,200 employees "to assist with the initial phase of the wind-down," which is expected to last about a year.

The company began facing troubles a few years ago as pension costs rose and health-conscious consumers stopped buying products.
A contentious battle began with Hostess asking its workers to take a smaller paycheck to keep the company open for business.

The bakers union went on strike Nov. 9, when the company imposed a contract that would cut workers' wages by 8 percent. The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) said the contract would also cut benefits by 27 to 32 percent Hostess, which is privately owned by investment firms, has struggled in recent years with two bankruptcy filings. The company said it "has done everything in its power to pursue a reorganization of its business as a going concern, including spending the better part of 18 months negotiating with its key constituents to obtain a consensual agreement."

With Hostess out of business that means the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the United States, the company said.

_________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.http://about.me/omardrake

TOKYO (AP) — Concrete ceiling panels fell onto moving vehicles deep inside a long Japanese highway tunnel, and authorities confirmed nine deaths before suspending rescue work Monday while the roof was being reinforced to prevent more collapses.

Two vehicles caught fire in the accident Sunday morning, and heavy smoke initially hindered rescue efforts. The location of the accident about 1.7 kilometers (a mile) inside the 4.7-kilometer (3-mile) long Sasago Tunnel was also making the work difficult.

The search was suspended Monday morning while the highway operator does work to support the remaining panels in the ceiling, said Jun Goto, an official at the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. It's expected to resume by afternoon.

Goto said it's not clear if there are other survivors.

Police and the highway operator Central Japan Expressway Co. were investigating why the concrete panels collapsed. The size of each panel, how many fell and other details about the collapse were not immediately released.

The nine dead were traveling in three vehicles in the tunnel about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo on a highway that links the capital to central Japan. The tunnel opened in 1977 and is one of many in the mountainous country.

Company President and CEO Takekazu Kaneko said that the company was inspecting other tunnels of similar structure, including a parallel tunnel for traffic going in the opposite direction. Both sections of the highway were shut down indefinitely.

Two people suffered injuries in the collapse.

_________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.http://about.me/omardrake